Work permit cannot be a solution: Sammujjal; Samujjal asks Mamta to learn a lesson from situation faced by NE and save West Bengal first from influx

SHILLONG, Aug 4: Stating that an error-free National Register of Citizens (NRC) as a solution to tackle the issue of illegal migrants, the All Assam Student Union (AASU) on Sunday said that no Bangladeshis coming to Assam after 1971 will be allowed to stay in the state, even as it made it clear that the student body will not accept ‘work permit’ as solution for illegal immigrants be it Hindu immigrants and Muslim immigrants.

AASU chief adviser Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya talking to reporters here said no Bangladeshis either Hindu or Muslim coming to Assam after 1971 will be allowed to stay in the state.

He said the 38-year long struggle gave a fruitful result to the people of Assam. He also said that the Supreme Court deserves 100 per cent credit for the entire exercise.

“We are satisfied but this is only the first step to make Assam free from illegal migrants,” Bhattacharya said in a press meet which was attended by NESO Chairman Samual Jyrwa and Khasi Students Union general secretary Donald Thabha.

He also said that this is the result of the sacrifices of the martyrs who lost their life in the Assam Movement. He felt that voters’ identity card can be made on the basis of NRC in future.

However, Bhattacharya said there are still miles to go. The AASU advisor said that it would cooperate in the rest of the process of NRC regarding claims and objection for the greater interest of the people.

Northeast is not the dumping ground of illegal foreigners, he said reiterating AASU’s demand for detection, deletion and deportation of illegal foreigners. The influential students’ body also urged upon all quarters not to politicize the NRC issue. Indirectly referring to hue and cry by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, he said that some vested interests are trying to politicize the NRC issue.

Bhattacharya also urged the government to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border and to sign a bilateral treaty with Bangladesh to ensure that no further influx of illegal migrants take place from the neighbouring country.

Referring to alleged harassment to people coming from Assam to Meghalaya in Ri-Bhoi and Jaintia Hills districts, the AASU veteran said that the matter was discussed on Sunday. “Any one faces such harassment can contact KSU, NESO or AASU,” he said.

In this regard, the KSU leader Thabha denied any harassment and said during its operation the KSU sent back 200 people in Ri-Bhoi district and 1000 people in Jaintia Hills district. He said that those who were sent back could not produce even voter’s identity card. “We pushed the NRC-rejects back,” he said.

The NESO chairman Jyrwa said that his organization would demand NRC for all the north-eastern states to tackle this perennial problem illegal influx of Bangladeshis.

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THE HILLS TIMES

The Hills Times, a largely circulated English daily published from Diphu and printed in Guwahati, having vast readership in hills districts of Assam, and neighbouring Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.